SOURCES SOUGHT
66 -- 600 MHz Double-resonance NMR Spectrometer with Microimaging Accessory
- Notice Date
- 4/27/2023 6:11:43 PM
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 334510
— Electromedical and Electrotherapeutic Apparatus Manufacturing
- Contracting Office
- NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH NIDA Bethesda MD 20892 USA
- ZIP Code
- 20892
- Solicitation Number
- 75N95023Q00265
- Response Due
- 5/12/2023 11:00:00 AM
- Point of Contact
- Fred Ettehadieh
- E-Mail Address
-
Fred.Ettehadieh@nih.gov
(Fred.Ettehadieh@nih.gov)
- Description
- This is a Small Business Sources Sought notice. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding: (1) the availability and capability of qualified small business sources; (2) whether they are small businesses; HUBZone small businesses; service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses; 8(a) small businesses; veteran-owned small businesses; woman-owned small businesses; or small disadvantaged businesses; (3) their size classification relative to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for the proposed acquisition; and (4) availability of domestic sources manufactured in the United States in sufficient and reasonably available commercial quantities and of a satisfactory quality. For equipment/supply requirements, small business responses must include: (1) the place of manufacturing (i.e. address if supply/equipment is a domestic end product and include country of manufacture), as well as (2) the size status of the manufacturer under the applicable NAICS code (i.e. address Non-Manufacturer Rule). Your responses to the information requested will assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition method, including whether a set-aside is possible. An organization that is not considered a small business under the applicable NAICS code should not submit a response to this notice. This notice is issued to help determine the availability of qualified companies technically capable of meeting the Government requirement and to determine the method of acquisition.� It is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract.� Responses will not be considered as proposals or quotes.� No award will be made as a result of this notice.� The Government will NOT be responsible for any costs incurred by the respondents to this notice.� This notice is strictly for research and information purposes only. Background:� In the National Institute on Aging (NIA) Intramural Research Program (IRP), there is an ongoing need for an NMR spectrometer with microimaging capabilities to support several types of experiments. A major application is the quantitative microimaging of ex vivo tissues such as fixed human brain samples, whole mouse and rat brains and muscle biopsies. This includes the development of advanced relaxometry mapping experiments which aim to detect and characterize neurodegeneration and sarcopenia with advancing age, both to inform basic scientific questions and for translation to in vivo studies on animals and humans. Another application is the metabolomic study of biofluids and tissue extracts. In these experiments, NMR spectroscopy is used to not only measure the concentration of metabolites but also to characterize their isotopic labeling, permitting detailed characterization of reaction rates and fluxes at different stages of the metabolic cycle, information that is not available from other techniques such as mass spectrometry. There is also renewed interest in performing metabolic and functional studies on isolated, perfused organs such as rat and mouse hearts. Further, purchase of a spectrometer operating at higher than 400 MHz will permit in vivo mouse brain imaging and localized spectroscopy with spatial and spectral resolution not possible with our existing 7 Tesla and 9.4 Tesla horizontal bore animal MRI systems. Thus, purchase of a 600 MHz NMR spectrometer with microimaging capabilities will both support existing research needs and anticipated projects in early development. �������Purchase Description: Bruker Biospin Avance Neo 600 MHz Wide Bore NMR Spectrometer, to include Ascend 600 MHz WB superconducting magnet, three- channel 600 MHz Avance Neo console, BOSS-2 widebore and BOSS-3 standard bore shim sets and power supplies, GAB/2 and GREAT 3/60 gradient amplifiers, 5 mm SmartProbe BBFO broadband liquids probehead with Z gradient coil, Micro2.5 widebore gradient system, MICWB40 microimaging probe body and interchangeable radio-frequency coils, data acquisition and processing workstation and ParaVision 360 / Topspin 4 software. Salient characteristics A. Magnet System 1) Persistent superconducting magnet � needed to provide sufficient magnetic field stability and homogeneity to permit high-resolution NMR spectroscopy. 2) Nominal magnetic field strength shall be 14.1 Tesla (600 MHz for 1H) � needed to provide sufficient spectral resolution to distinguish 13C isotopomers in metabolomic studies. 3) Widebore inner diameter (industry standard 89 mm) � needed to support microimaging of samples up to 30 mm in diameter. 4) Maximum operational height 12�-0� (3658 mm) � needed to permit installation in existing lab space with 12�-0� ceiling height. 5) 5 Gauss (0.5 mT) fringe field (safety exclusion zone): a. Radial dimension no larger than +/- 3.1 meters b. Axial dimension no larger than +/- 3.8 meters These limits are required for safe installation in existing lab space. 6) Magnetic field homogeneity of 10 ppm or less over a 70 mm diameter spherical volume (DSV) � needed to allow localized NMR spectroscopy of samples up to 30 mm in diameter. 7) Magnetic field drift less than 6 Hz per hour � needed for overnight accumulation of NMR spectra of rare and/or dilute nuclei. 8) Minimum liquid helium refill interval of 150 days � needed to accommodate shortages of liquid helium. 9) Magnet stand shall include pneumatic dampers for vibration suppression � needed to compensate for ambient floor vibrations in existing lab space. B. Shim System All shim systems shall incorporate matrix technology � needed to provide optimum magnetic field homogeneity for required spectral resolution. System shall include widebore and standard bore shim tubes, each with B0 coil, temperature sensor and plug-and-play functionality to prevent damage due to over-current or over-heating. System shall include widebore and standard bore upper stacks with capability of shim cooling with compressed air or nitrogen. Shim system shall be integrated with acquisition software to permit autoshimming and storage and retrieval of shim settings. System shall include widebore and standard bore spinners to accommodate operation at temperatures down to -150 �C � needed for temperature-dependent relaxometry experiments. C. Lock System 1) Lock system shall support gradient-based autoshimming on gradient-equipped probes � needed for optimum spectral resolution and throughput on liquid samples. 2) Lock system shall include sample temperature measurement by 2H NMR signal � needed for reproducibility of relaxometry experiments and for accurate kinetic measurements. 3) Lock system shall be integrated with acquisition software to support automatic locking, automatic shimming on 2H signal and storage and retrieval of lock settings. 4) Lock system shall include �lock hold� feature for use in experiments with pulsed field gradients. D. Variable Temperature (VT) System 1) VT system shall support operation between at least -150� and 150� C using either compressed air or nitrogen gas as a heat transfer medium � needed to maintain tissue samples under refrigeration during long scans to inhibit decomposition. 2) VT system shall include nitrogen gas separator � this is needed to perform long-term experiments, which require more nitrogen gas than is available from a single cylinder. 3) VT system shall provide temperature regulation to within +/- 0.1� C or smaller for a set point between at least -150� and 150� C. 4) VT system shall be integrated with probe heaters and cold gas supplies to shut down heater current in the event of temperature sensor failure, flow failure or heater removal from gas stream � needed for protection against sample and probe overheating and damage. 5) VT system shall be integrated with acquisition software to permit automatic setting of temperature set points, temperature logging during experiments and storage and recall of VT system parameters. E. Digital Control and Low-level Radio-frequency (RF) Generation System 1) System shall include at least two TTL input and at least two TTL output channels for external triggering and control of third-party devices, respectively. 2) Timing resolution for RF pulse durations and shapes shall be 12.5 ns or faster � needed for experiments on solids and semi-solids like muscle and cartilage tissue samples. 3) System shall be capable of simultaneous setting of RF pulse amplitude, frequency and phase � needed to produce shaped pulses for selective excitation with minimum duration in ultrashort-TE experiments. F. Gradient System 1) Gradient system shall include X, Y and Z channel amplifiers, each capable of producing pulses of at least 60 A current at a voltage of at least 100 V. 2) Input signals to each gradient amplifier shall be transmitted digitally to prevent ground loop-related imaging artifacts. 3) Gradient system shall be integrated with acquisition software to permit automated optimization, storage and retrieval of pre-emphasis settings for multiple, interchangeable gradient coils. 4) Gradient system shall include a three-axis gradient coil capable of generating gradient pulses of at least 1.5 T/m with a rise time to 95% amplitude no greater than 100 microseconds. 5) Gradient coil shall have an inner diameter of at least 40 mm � needed to accommodate radio-frequency coils large enough to scan samples up to 30 mm in diameter. 6) Gradient coil shall be water-cooled and system shall include dedicated water chiller/circulator. 7) Gradient coil shall be removable to permit use of spectrometer with standard liquids and solids probes. 8) Gradient system shall include protection against over-current and over-temperature conditions to prevent damage to gradient coil and gradient amplifiers. 9) Gradient system shall include at least one gradient amplifier compatible with liquids probes containing gradient coil(s) for shimming and coherence selection. Amplifier(s) shall be integrated with the acquisition software and lock system to perform gradient-assisted autoshimming on liquid samples. G. Radio-frequency (RF) Transmitter System 1) The spectrometer shall be equipped with three independent radio-frequency transmit channels. At least one of these channels shall generate RF pulses at the nominal NMR frequencies of nuclei from 109Ag to 31P and 19F � this broadband capability is needed to support metabolomic studies using 13C or 15N-labeled substrates and to perform bioenergetic studies with 31P NMR. 2) Each of the three transmit channels shall be equipped with a linear RF amplifier capable of transmitting pulses in its frequency range of at least 500 watts peak power and at least 50 watts continuously � needed to generate RF pulses short enough to perform imaging and spectroscopy experiments on samples with very short T2 relaxation times, such as bone and cartilage. 3) System shall support operation of probes with a quadrature 1H channel, either via an active quadrature splitter/combiner or preferably via two independent transmit/receive channels � This is needed to operate quadrature RF coils, which are commonly used in MRI to provide optimum transmit efficiency and receive sensitivity. 4) Transmit system shall be integrated with acquisition software to monitor forward and reflected RF power as well as amplifier fault conditions (e.g., over-heating) � needed to protect probes and transmitter system from damage during experiments with high power and/or duty cycle. 5) Transmit system shall be integrated with acquisition software and hardware to permit correction for non-linearity following an automated calibration routine � this is needed to ensure accurate flip angle setting based on an initial reference power measurement. 6) Transmit system shall include active transmit-receive switches on each channel for best isolation of transmit pulses from received NMR signal. 7) The 1H transmit-receive switch/preamplifier module(s) shall have a maximum RF power limit of at least 1000 watts � needed for future capability of solid-state NMR experiments with high-power 1H decoupling. 8) Transmit system shall support excitation and observation of fluorine-19 (19F) for probes tunable to the 19F nominal frequency. H. Radio-frequency (RF) Receiver System 1) Spectrometer shall have three RF receive channels, of which at least one shall be broad-band, supporting detection at the nominal NMR frequencies of nuclei from 109Ag to 31P and 19F � this broadband capability is needed to support metabolomic studies using 13C or 15N-labeled substrates and to perform bioenergetic studies with 31P NMR. 2) System shall digitize real and imaginary parts of received signal simultaneously at a rate of at least 10 MHz to support sweep widths of at least 5 MHz � this is needed to support single-shot and ultra-short echo time imaging sequences, required, respectively, for functional MRI (fMRI) studies and experiments on samples with short T2 relaxation times such as muscle and cartilage. 3) System shall digitize received signal with at least 16 bits of amplitude resolution and shall incorporate real-time digital filtering to permit small field-of-view MRI experiments without wrap-around artifacts. Radio-frequency (RF) Probes and Accessories 1) System shall include at least one probe for NMR spectroscopy of a liquid sample in a standard 5 mm tube: a) This probe shall include at least three channels: 2H for lock and autoshimming; 1H for detection and decoupling and a broadband channel covering at least the nominal NMR frequencies of nuclei from 109Ag to 31P and 19F. b) This probe shall include a gradient coil along at least the Z axis and preferably X and Y as well for gradient-based automatic shimming. c) This probe shall incorporate automated optimization of tuning and matching for high throughput with minimal operator intervention. d) This probe shall support variable temperature experiments across a range of at least -150 �C to 150 �C using dry nitrogen gas as a heat transfer medium. e) This probe shall be integrated with the acquisition software to permit automatic hardware detection � this is needed to protect the probe from damage due to excessive radio-frequency power or gradient current. 2) System shall include a probe for NMR spectroscopy of a liquid sample in a standard 20 mm tube with four RF channels: a) 2H for lock b) 1H for detection and decoupling c) 31P for detection (or broadband channel tunable to 31P frequency) d) 13C for detection (or broadband channel tunable to 13C frequency) This probe is needed for functional and metabolomic studies of isolated perfused organs. 3) System shall include a RF probe body with interchangeable coils for microimaging experiments: a) System shall include 1H-only coils with inner diameters of 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 mm � matching the coil diameter to the size of the sample gives maximum excitation efficiency and sensitivity for receiving NMR signals. b) At least the 20 mm, 25 mm and 30 mm 1H-only coils shall incorporate quadrature excitation and reception for maximum transmit and receive efficiency. c) System shall include a 1H-only horizontal solenoid coil with an inner diameter of 5 mm for imaging small samples with minimum pulse length and maximum sensitivity. d) System shall include a double-resonance 1H/23Na coil with an inner diameter of at least 25 mm for 23Na imaging of the in vivo mouse brain � 23Na MRI is a promising technique for identifying regions of neurodegeneration in mouse models of aging and Alzheimer�s disease and related dementias. e) Microimaging probe body and coils shall be capable of operation at temperatures at least as low as -20 �C to at least as high as 60 �C � this is needed to scan unfixed tissue samples under refrigeration during long experiments. f) System shall include bed for in vivo mouse experiments, including bite bar and nose cone for inhalation anesthesia, ear bars for immobilization of the head and capability to adjust the height of the mouse brain to reach the center of the 25 mm 1H/23Na and 30 mm 1H coils. J. Computer Hardware and Software 1. System shall include an operator�s workstation with the following characteristics: a) Minimum of 64 GB RAM b) Minimum of 256 GB SSD disk space for operating system c) Minimum of 2 TB disk space for data storage d) CPU with at least 6 cores and minimum of 3.8 GHz processor speed 2. Software shall include licenses for two concurrent users: one acquiring data and one processing data. 3. Software shall support acquisition and processing of NMR spectra including: a) Automated B0 field shimming via gradient-based or iterative techniques b) Collection and processing of one, two, and three-dimensional homonuclear and heteronuclear NMR datasets c) Collection and processing of sequences of spectra for calculation of relaxation time constants T1 and T2 d) Export to open format (e.g., raw integer or floating point data) for processing in third-party software e) User-defined pulse programs, macros and processing workflows 4. Software shall support acquisition and processing of MRI images and spectra including: a) Automated B0 field shimming via iterative and field map-based techniques b) Automated calibration of excitation frequency, transmitter power level and receiver gain c) Definition of slice, saturation slab and voxel orientations and positions via interactive graphical user interface d) Visualization of three-dimensional data via calculation of arbitrary slices (MPR) and maximum intensity projection (MIP) e) Acquisition and reconstruction of 1D, 2D and 3D images with slice selection using spin echo (multi-slice multi-echo; fast spin echo), gradient echo (e.g., FLASH) and steady-state free precession (SSFP) sequences f) Acquisition and reconstruction of imaging data with Cartesian (row-by-row, segmented, EPI or segmented EPI) and spiral k-space acquisition schemes g) Acquisition and reconstruction of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data, including calculation and visualization of fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity and eigenvalue/eigenvector maps h) Acquisition and processing of multi-gradient echo (MGE) data for T2* measurements i) Acquisition and processing of relaxometry data sets with calculation of T1 and T2 time constants on a pixel-by-pixel or region of interest basis j) Acquisition and processing of localized NMR spectra obtained with PRESS, STEAM and LASER pulse sequences k) Acquisition and processing of spectroscopic imaging (a.k.a. chemical shift imaging) experiments in one, two and three dimensions l) Acquisition of Dixon imaging data with reconstruction of fat and water maps m) Acquisition of perfusion data sets via arterial spin labeling (ASL) and dynamic contrast enhancement (DCE) techniques with calculation of quantitative perfusion maps n) Acquisition and reconstruction of prospectively and retrospectively-triggered cardiac and respiratory image series o) Acquisition and reconstruction of images using ultrashort-TE methods (UTE and ZTE) - for study of samples with short T2 relaxation times, e.g., muscle, bone and cartilage. p) Export to open format (e.g., raw integer or floating point data) for processing in third-party software q) User-defined pulse programs, macros and processing workflows 5. NMR and MRI software licenses shall be valid for at least 10 years in the version installed at system handover to Government. 6. Contractor shall provide free upgrades to software and firmware for at least one year after installation and successful testing of the spectrometer system. K. Services 1. Prior to delivery of any equipment, Contractor shall perform a site survey to evaluate ambient magnetic and electromagnetic interference and floor vibrations in the lab space designated for installation of the new magnet. Based on the results of this survey, Contractor shall advise the Government on the need for shielding, vibration damping and other remedial measures needed prior to installation. 2. Contractor shall de-energize, warm up, disassemble and crate existing Magnex 400 MHz super-widebore magnet prior to the installation of the new magnet at a time agreed on with the Government. All necessary cryogens needed for this service shall be provided by the Contractor. 3. Contractor shall provide rigging equipment and services needed to deliver the 600 MHz superconducting magnet to NIA-IRP�s designated lab space in the NIH Biomedical Research Center (BRC) in Baltimore, MD. 4. Contractor shall provide all liquid helium, helium gas and liquid nitrogen required to install, energize and shim the superconducting magnet. Reserves to cover re-energization following a quench shall be provided by the contractor. 5. Contractor shall install and test all system components according to manufacturer�s written specifications. 6. Contractor shall provide initial user training on-site immediately after installation and successful testing. 7. For at least one year following acceptance of spectrometer by Government, Contractor shall provide remote diagnostic services via Government-supplied and managed internet connection to include: a) Remote monitoring of magnet liquid helium level b) Remote diagnosis of hardware errors c) Remote diagnosis and, where possible remediation of software and system configuration errors 8. Contractor shall provide warranty support for all system components for at least one year after successful installation and system testing, to include on-site visits by factory-trained and certified technicians as needed. 9. Contractor shall provide on-site applications training for at least four days at a mutually agreed upon time within one year of successful installation. 10. Contractor shall provide tuition for at least 10 days of off-site user training to be completed within one year of successful installation. Warranty: One year warranty on all hardware, including magnet. Software licensing and upgrade and system monitoring services as described above. Option(s): Probe for HR-MAS NMR spectroscopy of semi-solid samples under magic angle spinning (MAS). 1) HR-MAS probe shall possess at least three RF channels: 2H for lock; 1H for detection and decoupling and 13C for detection (or broadband channel tunable to 13C frequency). 2) HR-MAS probe shall spin rotors of outer diameter at least 4 mm at a rate of at least 5 kHz. 3) HR-MAS probe shall include a gradient coil along at least the Z axis for gradient-based automatic shimming. 4) System shall include a control unit for setting and regulating the MAS spin rate, probe temperature and insert/eject function. 5) System shall include hardware to permit sample insertion and ejection without removal of the probe from the magnet. Broad-band probe with built-in high-power Z-axis gradient for diffusion measurements 1) This probe shall include at least two channels: 2H for lock and autoshimming and 1H/19F for detection and decoupling. 2) This probe shall include a Z-axis gradient coil capable of generating pulses of at least 3000 G/cm (30 T/m) using gradient amplifiers supplied with base spectrometer system. 3) This probe shall support variable temperature experiments across a range of at least -40 �C to 150 �C using dry nitrogen gas as a heat transfer medium. Anticipated delivery: 9 - 11 Months after receipt of order Other important considerations: In case domestic sources are available and capable of fulfilling the Government�s need, and a future solicitation is published, the Government will use evaluation preferences in accordance with FAR 25. Capability statement /information sought: Companies that believe they possess the capabilities to provide the required products should submit documentation of their ability to meet each of the project requirements to the Contracting Officer. The capability statement must specifically address each of the project requirements separately.� Additionally, the capability statement should include 1) the total number of employees, 2) the professional qualifications of personnel as it relates to the requirements outlined, 3) any contractor GSA Schedule contracts and/or other government-wide acquisition contracts (GWACs) by which all of the requirements may be met, if applicable, and 4) any other information considered relevant to this program. Capability statements must also include the Company Name, Unique Entity ID from SAM.gov, Physical Address, and Point of Contact Information. The response must include the respondents� technical and administrative points of contact, including names, titles, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses. Interested companies are required to identify their type of business, applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code, and size standards in accordance with the Small Business Administration. The government requests that no proprietary or confidential business data be submitted in a response to this notice. However, responses that indicate the information therein is proprietary will be properly safeguarded for Government use only. Capability statements must include the name and telephone number of a point of contact having authority and knowledge to discuss responses with Government representatives. Capability statements in response to this market survey that do not provide sufficient information for evaluation will be considered non-responsive. When submitting this information, please reference the solicitation notice number. One (1) copy of the response is required and must be in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format using 11-point or 12-point font, 8-1/2� x 11� paper size, with 1� top, bottom, left and right margins, and with single or double spacing. The information submitted must be in and outline format that addresses each of the elements of the project requirement and in the capability statement /information sought paragraphs stated herein.� A cover page and an executive summary may be included but is not required. The response is limited to ten (10) page limit.� The 10-page limit does not include the cover page, executive summary, or references, if requested. All capability statements sent in response to this Notice must be submitted to Fred Ettehadieh, Contracting Officer, by email at fred.ettehadieh@nih.gov on or before the closing date and time of this Notice. All responses must be received by the specified due date and time in order to be considered. �Facsimile responses are not acceptable. Disclaimer and Important Notes:� This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization�s qualifications to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After a review of the responses received, a presolicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in www.sam.gov. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation. Confidentiality: No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s).
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- Place of Performance
- Address: Baltimore, MD, USA
- Country: USA
- Country: USA
- Record
- SN06665380-F 20230429/230427230113 (samdaily.us)
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